Greene Tweed Innovation Award Winner Spotlight: Dan Doherty – Slashing Audit Times

Imagine transforming a 45 to 60-minute audit process into a seamless experience that takes only 10 minutes. That’s exactly what Dan Doherty, Senior Enterprise Systems Specialist at Greene Tweed, achieved with the new 6S audit website that plays a crucial role in maintaining a clean, organized, and safe work environment across the organization. Remarkably, in just five months since its launch, this digital solution has saved Greene Tweed over 200 hours and is expected to save about 500 hours annually.

Recognizing his outstanding achievement, Greene Tweed honored him with our prestigious Innovation Award, which spotlights and rewards exceptional efforts to push the boundaries of innovation and collaboration. Soon after the special event, where CEO Magen Buterbaugh presented the award to him, we sat down with Dan to learn more about his journey of innovation and process optimization.

Let’s start with what you’re being recognized for. Tell us about your achievement:

I'm being recognized for developing the new automated 6S Audit Website, a project I built to streamline processes and save the company over 500 work hours annually. This is done by the website reducing the 6S audit process time from 45-60 minutes to just 10 minutes. I spent many nights and weekends working on it, because I genuinely enjoy coding and was excited about the difference this site could make. This award acknowledges the effort I put into creating solutions that help the company operate more efficiently, while also allowing me to do work I’m truly passionate about. I look forward to creating more solutions like this to save the company both time and money in other areas. I built this project entirely from scratch using LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) for the backend, with JavaScript and Bootstrap powering the frontend to ensure a responsive and user-friendly design.

What does this award mean to you personally and professionally?

This award means a great deal to me both personally and professionally. Personally, it’s rewarding to see the effort and passion I put into coding recognized in such a meaningful way. Professionally, it reinforces the value of creating impactful solutions, like the automated 6S Audit Website, that directly benefit the company. It’s also a reminder of the trust the company places in me to take on challenging projects and deliver results that make a difference.

Can you share the journey behind the project that led to this award?

The journey behind the 6S Audit Site began when Daniel Nieswiadomy, an LSS Black Belt II in Houston, reached out to Kathy Junod, Director Information Systems, for someone who could help automate the 6S audits. Kathy connected Daniel with me, and he showed me the Excel sheet and the PowerPoint they were manually filling out. The goal was to automate the process and generate Excel and PDF versions of the reports to streamline their workflow.

We started with Houston, where we tested and implemented the application. Once it was successful, we adapted and customized it for the Selma and Kulpsville plants. Next, we plan to roll it out in the UK and Taiwan sites.

What inspired me was how much time and effort could be saved by building this solution. Daniel was incredibly helpful throughout the process, providing the Excel template to use, clear feedback, testing the site before it went live, and supplying the categories and names of the users across our three U.S. plants. Kathy and Walt Fromm, Manager Enterprise Systems, provide me with plenty of freedom to work on amazing projects like this.

How would you describe the impact of your innovation?

The 6S Audit Site has had a significant impact by streamlining what was previously a manual, time-consuming process. The automation of the audits and the generation of Excel and PDF reports have already saved the company over 200 hours since going online 5 months ago.

This efficiency gain allows teams to focus more on value-added tasks, directly contributing to Greene Tweed's mission of driving operational excellence. The site also ensures greater consistency and accuracy in reporting, which supports our vision of innovation and continuous improvement.

Looking ahead, the framework developed for this site could be adapted to automate other processes in the company, creating additional time and cost savings, while reinforcing our commitment to leverage technology for growth and efficiency.

How do you envision the trajectory of your innovation? Please feel free to include any future related projects that excite you.

I see the 6S Audit Website as just the beginning. Its success has demonstrated the power of automating manual processes, and I’d love to replicate this approach for other departments that still rely on manual workflows. By identifying and addressing similar inefficiencies, we can create tailored solutions that save time, reduce errors, and improve overall productivity. This project has opened exciting opportunities to bring similar innovations to other areas of the company, driving even greater efficiency and alignment with GT’s goals.

What were the most significant lessons or insights you gained from this experience?

Through this experience, I reinforced the importance of aligning technical solutions with real-world needs. Collaborating with Daniel Nieswiadomy and gathering detailed input ensured that the site was not only functional, but highly effective for its users.

This project also highlighted the significant impact automation can have on reducing workload and increasing efficiency, which motivates me to identify similar opportunities across the company.

Professionally, this journey allowed me to further refine my ability to create targeted solutions and manage complex projects, all while balancing multiple priorities. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see the direct impact of this work on the company’s operations.

What advice can you offer aspiring innovators at Greene Tweed?

My advice for aspiring innovators at Greene Tweed is to stay curious and look for opportunities to improve existing processes. Sometimes, the best innovations come from addressing everyday inefficiencies, like automating a manual workflow.

Don’t be afraid to take on complex projects or explore new technologies—it’s through challenges that we grow the most. Collaboration is also key; seek feedback and involve the people who will use your solution to ensure it truly meets their needs. Lastly, trust in your skills and be persistent. The impact of your efforts can be far-reaching, not just for the company, but for your own growth as well.